Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
When you have kidney disease, you will face the unexpected challenge of summer exercise. This evening, you’ll find me doing something many people would probably envy.
I’m deliberately snacking.
A bowl of dry cereal now sits beside me, and I keep reaching into it every few minutes in an ongoing effort to replace the calories that disappeared during today’s exercise. It may not be the most glamorous recovery meal, but it is crunchy, convenient, and currently working overtime.
Every summer, I face the same struggle: the challenge of summer exercise.
Keeping my weight up.
Our backyard isn’t especially large, but it is built on a steep hill. Mowing it is far more demanding than people usually imagine. It feels less like ordinary yard work and more like a long endurance workout that just happens to leave the grass looking nicer afterward.
The physical activity itself isn’t the real problem.
Replacing the calories is.
Because of my kidney disease, I have to be careful about almost everything I eat. Protein, sodium, potassium, and phosphate all require close attention. Those restrictions eliminate more than just large steaks and salty snacks. Even foods that most people think of as healthy, certain colorful vegetables, dairy products, and many fruits, have to be eaten thoughtfully and in moderation.
Rather than relying on one “perfect” food, my wife and I constantly rotate what I eat so that no single nutrient becomes excessive.
Managing my diet has become something of a long-term strategy game.
Protein and sodium are the nutrients I monitor most carefully. I also take medication for high blood pressure, another condition closely tied to my kidney health. Every meal becomes a balancing act between providing enough energy and avoiding foods that could make my lab results less than ideal.
Last summer, I thought I had found the perfect solution.
Melon.
It seemed refreshing, easy to eat, and ideal for helping maintain my weight.
Unfortunately, blood tests revealed that it contained far more potassium than I could safely consume on a regular basis. So my brilliant nutritional discovery quietly retired after one season.
Sometimes your laboratory results become your least forgiving food critic.
Of course, exercising is not optional.
Running, strength training, and even mowing the lawn are all important parts of maintaining my health. If I burn more calories, however, I also have to replace them.
Hence the cereal.
Tomorrow offers another opportunity to replenish those calories. After our grocery trip, I’ll finally get to enjoy a slice of cake and finish the leftover pizza from last weekend.
Before anyone concludes that I have discovered the world’s greatest fitness program, there is one small detail.
Tomorrow is also my regular 10-kilometer run.
So those extra calories already have a job waiting for them.
Such is life.
Most people spend the summer trying to lose weight.
I spend mine trying to convince the scale to stay exactly where it is.